The boy smiled and said, "You know what? When you start taking care of yourself, you become really attractive."
William glanced down at the name embroidered on the boy's uniform: Richard.
Richard was a German name. He was a handsome boy with golden blonde hair that leaned toward light brown and striking green eyes. Truly good-looking.
William sighed and told Richard, "You know, I've been having some problems with my family. That's why I haven't really been keeping up my appearance this year."
Of course, he had looked like that since he was ten, but he didn't want to admit it out loud.
Richard nodded and replied, "Well, if you're free after school, you can come with me. I've got a pre-planned date with two girls, and they need a couple of good-looking 'boys' — and you know, you've got a decent face."
Richard's face flushed a little from being so direct.
William hesitated and thought it over.
He had never been on a date before and honestly had no idea what he was supposed to do.
Talking to Richard about this felt strange too.
"You know, I've never been on a date before, so I really don't know how this works," William admitted quietly.
Richard laughed softly. "Really? You've never been on a date...? Uh, sorry, that sounds a bit strange to me."
He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.
William looked down and said softly, "I'm serious."
Richard smiled and said, "To be honest, me too."
William was surprised. "You're so popular, so how come you've never been with a girl?"
Richard blushed harder. "I-I'm just shy."
William laughed lightly. "Me too... well... I'll tell you after class."
For a moment, William thought Richard wasn't such a bad guy after all. Their brief conversation felt surprisingly good.
William quickly pulled out his notebook and drew a grid with fifty empty boxes.
He divided it from one to fifty, leaving each box blank to be filled later.
He crossed out the first and second days.
The fiftieth day was still empty, but on the second day, he wrote: "A date — with someone I don't know."
He really wondered how it would feel to go on a date with a girl..
William stared at the empty boxes in his notebook.
He wasn't sure if he was ready to fill them with anything meaningful yet.
The idea of a date felt foreign and scary. What would he even say? What if he said something stupid?
But Richard's invitation lingered in his mind. Maybe this was a chance — a chance to do something different, to break out of the mess his life had become.
As the school bell rang, signaling the end of the day, William closed his notebook and put it away.
He felt a strange mix of excitement and fear bubbling inside him.
On his way out, Richard caught up with him.
"Hey, are you really coming after school?" he asked, flashing a hopeful smile.
William hesitated, then nodded slowly.
"Yeah... I think I will."
Richard's grin grew wider.
"Good. Don't worry — I'll be there to guide you through it."
For the first time in a long while, William felt a flicker of hope. Maybe these fifty days wouldn't be so bad after all.
Maybe, just maybe, something good could come out of this strange countdown.